Scalero & Belmonti

In the matter of *Scalero & Belmonti*, heard by Middleton J, the dispute concerned parenting orders for a child, X, born in 2017. Ms Scalero, the mother, was the applicant, and Mr Belmonti, the father, was the respondent.

The court was required to determine the best interests of the child, specifically regarding parental responsibility, living arrangements, and time spent with each parent. This involved assessing the nature of the relationship between the child and each parent, and the father's past involvement and interest in the child's life.

Middleton J found the father to be a dishonest and unconvincing witness, concluding he was not credible. The court noted the child had a loving and meaningful relationship with her mother, while there was no evidence of a relationship with the father, and indeed, the father had shown a distinct lack of interest in the child. The father had not seen the child since May 2019. The court considered the definition of a "meaningful relationship" as one that is important, significant, and valuable to the child, applying this to the evidence. The evidence indicated the father had not wanted a child, was happy about previous miscarriages, and played a minimal role in the child's early life, even expressing frustration at noise from the child.

The court ordered that the mother have sole parental responsibility for the child, that the child live with the mother, and that the child spend no time with the father. All previous orders were discharged, and the Independent Children’s Lawyer was discharged.